KANGAROO HUNTING: Should it continue, or not?

'Every day' parking call

I am writing to make sure that there is more every day parking developed in and around the main street of Horsham. When all the parks are gone at the car park behind the newsagents, I have to park all the way behind Kmart.

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These parks are usually taken up by 9am. I have to walk all the way to the main street from my car.

Yes I'm probably complaining but after work I'm tired and my feet hurt from being up all day. I'm horrified about the walk to my car in the blistering sun, just to get to a car that is overheated as there is not enough trees providing shade.

Also [here are too many] parking metres - in the main street I understand, but not down the side streets.

This is an on-going issue that a lot of my companions are irritated about. More trees would also offer better coverage for the car parks, such as Roberts Avenue around Cafe Jas. Thank you for allowing the public to voice their opinions on this issue.

Lily Materne, Horsham

Halls Gap fire questions

This is a wake up call - we live in a vulnerable town so do we sit on our hands and wait for a similar event to what has happened in East Gippsland and beyond?

Therefore I raise these questions:

Does the community need a discussion with all Government Departments that oversee our town so that a plan can be developed to clear vegetation on our road reserves leading into and out of town (within the restricted zones)?.
Should there be a discussion with DELWP regarding regular controlled burns on our northern and southern ranges?
Should the NGSC review their by-law that restricts residents from burning fuel from around their households only in the two weeks of October, this [being] a very small window in which to carry out this work?.
Is it a viable option to start a petition regarding these matters to put to our local Member.
Do we approach our Councillors and Mayor for support in pushing our case?
Would the Ratepayers Association be supportive of these issues? I realise that the Northern Grampians Shire Council has in place a Municipal Emergency Plan (I believe the current Plan is Version 3.2 dated May 2018) in which it states on page 2: "The Northern Grampians Shire Council (NGSC) is committed to working in partnership with the community, responsible authorities and other relevant agencies and organisations to prevent and minimise the occurrence of emergencies and their impacts on the community". So do we need to take any further action to ensure this plan is being adhered to?

I would be interested to hear other peoples' views and thoughts as to how best we protect our town and residents from what could easily occur on our doorstep.

Daryl and Marianne Mitchell, Halls Gap

Kangaroo hunting: for and against

I have been involved in this pet food trial from day dot. It's been five year's this trial has been going for, and the changes it has been through has been ridiculous, the problem is DEWLP think they know best, yet they haven't got a clue of the damage and destruction a mob of roos can do.

And most people out there think tjat the people who are in this pet food program are just blokes that go out on a Friday night and have a few beers and go and shoot some roos. Well that's not the case. As a professional shooter, l shoot four nights a week. And believe it or not I would make more money out of it than a person who is in a $100,000 job.

And the do gooders out there think that we are going to shoot the population of kangaroos out. Well! Just to let know, that we are only given 12 per cent of the population. So if DEWLP think that you have 100 kangaroos they will give 12 to shoot. And in that12 I get to shoot, l can only shoot down to 15kg dressed. Because the buyer's won't buy them. So how the hell are we supposed to reduce the population on that percentage? And as Graham said, WHY is it still ok for a farmer to shoot on a drop permit. It seems to me that perhaps it's not about the well-being of the kangaroos.

Aaron Hemley, Stawell

I wholeheartedly agree with the comments from Andy Meddick. I am sickened by the relentless persecution of wildlife in this state. I'm very glad that the government has suspended kangaroo culling in these near-apocalyptic conditions.

However, they have approved a full season on native Stubble Quail with a bag of 20 birds per day and are yet to make an announcement regarding the season on native waterbirds. Australians and people all over the world have donated millions to help our wildlife during this crisis, the least the government could do is stop deliberately raising the death toll.

Alyssa Wormald, Bayswater

I must express my support for the recent suspension of commercial kangaroo harvesting in Victoria. It is imperative that we review the practice of the commercialisation of wildlife for their flesh and skins in Australia and end the killing of kangaroos for profit.

At a time of unprecedented destruction of our natural environment and with an international focus on how we manage the recovery of our unique biodiversity, we must apply caution and compassion and end this unsustainable and far too often, inhumane practice of killing kangaroos.

It is time to coexist with wildlife, not destroy it for money or kill it as it gets in our way of further profits or developments. We utilise kangaroos to entice international tourists to view them during the day, and shoot to kill at night. Enough is enough, we must do better.

Gregory Keightley, Glenbrook

It is crucial we that stop exploiting wildlife, instead start supporting them and rebuilding their habitat that's been decimated first by the animal agriculture industry followed by the ongoing devastating fires.

Now more than ever, after the mass loss of wildlife, we must support them and change our direction to give back the land that has been lost to the wild to prevent floods, droughts, fires and further climate breakdown.

The kangaroo is an iconic Aussie symbol and now more than ever it is time to stop the exploitation and provide critical protections to the roo and all wildlife.